Brian Selznick, known for intricate illustrated epics like Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabret, reinvents the early-reader book with this fat set of simple stories about a primate private eye who has a lot more trouble putting on his pants than solving his cases. There are plenty of hidden pleasures to enjoy in repeated readings, but the …
[Thursday] morning, The Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and the Library of Congress today announced the appointment of Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner for her memoir-in-verse Brown Girl Dreaming, as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Woodson spoke with The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly for pieces to coincide with the announcement. If You Come Softly was …
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz is a classic and it’s brand new! When Amy’s favorite book is banned from her school library, she decides to run a library from her locker filled with banned books. I love reading banned books, and this one is chock full of books that have actually been banned. My to-read …
Most of the time, a sticker proclaiming a title is a “NEW BOOK” is sort of self-evident, but in the case of Shel Silverstein, an actual new book is worth getting out of bed, rushing through your morning oat bran, and heading on down to the bookstore early. Runny Babbit Returns is a collection of tongue-twisting poems …
Obayda’s family lives Afghanistan, and when her father loses his leg from a terrorist attack they have to move from the big city to a small village. To bring luck to the family, Obayda’s aunt suggests adopting the underground practice of bacha posh, dressing a girl as a boy. So with a chop of her hair, …
Erin Ostrander, a King County Library System children’s librarian, Sasquatch Award Committee Member, and indie bookstore champion, has a great recommendation for Saturday’s Independent Bookstore Day celebrants: …teachers and librarians taking the challenge on Saturday could purchase the new nominees for two of our state children’s choice lists; both were just announced over the weekend. OTTER Award Nominees …
Nearly 12 year-old Nickel and his younger sister Flora find themselves in the woods, in a snow storm, seeking help/shelter, after their car slides off the road and their mother sets off to find help, leaving them to stay put in the car. Fearful of the car being buried in the snow they set off, …
It took hearing Steph read this at Friday storytime [next one: July 15!] for me to realize what a brilliantly constructed little book it is. “One day I went to school. I came home. The end.” “One day I made something. I gave it to mom. The end.” In between these bare bones of storytelling lies …
The internet is full of lovely celebrations of beloved author, Beverly Cleary– the girl from Yamhill, who is now 100 years old! The above video is from Oregon Public Broadcasting. Check out their full coverage of the creator of Ramona Quimby, Ralph S. Mouse, Henry and Ribsy, and so many more childhood friends. If nothing else, …
Sometimes a unicorn shows up in your life and makes everything better. I wasn’t really expecting one. A few years ago, I had nearly realized an ambition I’ve had since age 12: I had scored a contract to develop a comic strip for newspaper syndication. I won that contract, in the Comic Strip Superstar contest, …
